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AnywhereCD Closes Doors after Losing Warner Music Group

AnywhereCD, the online music retailer that sold DRM-free digital music, is closing up shop. It's contract for selling CDs and mp3s from Warner Music Group expires, leaving the company with little inventory.

Founded by Michael Robertson, better known for MP3.com, launched AnywhereCD earlier this year as an alternative to other online retailers. This was some time before half the major record labels announced the option of DRM-free music for a select group of retailers, which now includes iTunes, Amazon, Wal-Mart, gbox and SpiralFrog. So for AnywhereCD, the catch was that in order to get DRM-free music, you had to first purchase the CD, as well as the mp3s from the same album.

It doesn't sound like a good deal now, and it didn't sound like a good deal even when it launched. With a boatload of problems from its only record label, WMG, the online retailer was holding on by a shoestring, even after the two companies reached an agreement in June.

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